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  • Photography: shoot what you Love

    A photography workshop was conducted by Br. Dhyanamrita. He explained how to take an interesting photo and what frame of mind one needs.

    Feedback:

    One of my interests is photography. Till I attended this class I didn’t know that photography can also be related with Gita. Swamiji taught us how to take good photographs of this changing world and life. Thank you, Swamiji.
    – Prabu Vignesh S

    I was a boy with fairly no idea about photography. All I used to do was to take photos without having much knowledge about the technicalities involved. Thanks to this session, as it brought about a big change in the way I look at and imagine objects.
    – Vasudevan N

    I gained knowledge on the creativity behind the photos, like how to take photos in the right ways – eye, view, etc.
    – Aswathi TS

    That was the session which I found was amazing. I could come to know various things in photography.
    – Shruti Sreevalsan

    I learnt how to take a photo and I got few good tips.
    – Thiru Ramakrishnan T

    The photography workshop was very informative and inspired us to be creative.
    – Jayadev HR

    With this we saw how beautiful the nature is and how we can enjoy the nature.
    – Mopuri Saitheja

    I like this class most because I learnt how to take photos more effectively.
    – Miryala Akhil Bharadwaj Maharaj

    Eyes are not enough to see but important. See everything without any bias and prejudice. Seeing is happiness!
    – Aiswarya PL

    I really like to click photos but didn’t know how to do that correctly but here I came to know how to do that properly.
    – Priyadharshini J

    It is very easy to think just clicking pictures makes a good photographer, but photography is a way of mind is something I learnt. Things about various nontechnical nuances of photography was taught which I think will be taught nowhere in the world(100% guarantee). The pictures which we saw were too creative, innovative and kindled us to think differently. The proof of this was us trying our hands-on-photography during the trek. Dhyanji you are very versatile.
    – Daamini Visaalaakshi

    The session taught us the angle through which a photo needs to be seen and when it should be clicked.
    – Neeraja Valsan

    Although I expected a hands-on workshop, I learned a few concepts of a ‘good photography’.
    – Prarthana Shedge

    Wow, that’s epic. From photography, I learned that everything in life should be achieved at the right, time right place and that is how photography is.
    – Arun Prasath B

    I love photography, it is my passion. Swamiji helps us to know more about the photography.
    – Ruxana VP

    The session was very interesting and informative. Got more interest in photography.
    – Saranya

    Well, I got to know that photography is not just about clicks and cameras, but the attitude, the passion, and patience is important as well. Loved it!!
    – Geethanjali VS

    We came to know about the aspects that make a photo meaningful and powerful through Swamiji’s vision like right mind, right frame, right moment, right eye, right settings, etc.
    – Akhila A

    From this section, I learnt how to take the right decisions. Before attending I was very weak in my decision making. Now onwards I will opt for the right thing.
    – Aarathy ER

    I only knew to pose. It was the fist time encountering the technical aspects. It was worth it.
    – Aswathi Krishna RL

    It was a nice session by our Swamiji and nice pictures. I got amazed by seeing that we can take a photo in different angles.
    – Silpasree SJ

    Swamiji’s photography workshop was very useful and informative. He taught us the different ways and dimensions to take a photograph. I would like to thank him for his effort, even though he has not taken any official classes in photography he is a photographer by nature, he shared with us his life experiences.
    – Anjali Anil

    Dhyanji, You opened our third eye, the camera and taught us the main qualities of a photographer which we can’t learn from anywhere else. You also made us realize how to use this third eye to see what our normal eyes fail to notice. Thank You, Swamiji.
    – Arjun CB

    After I became interested in photography I am more aware of the movements happening around nature. Thanks Swamiji for sharing the knowledge of photography with your students.
    – Abhishek Suratkal

    It gave me some passion to continue as a hobby and ideas in capturing exquisite photos.
    – Sujith P Shaju

    It was totally a new thing for me. I wished to always be there in the pictures but didn’t want to click pictures. Gita helped me in looking through the cameras eye with new creativity.
    – Dilip Kumar B

    Photography, as is my hobby (wild life, nature and portrait) is the most interesting thing to me. And I have improved my photography through this session.
    – Rahul Kowshik R

    Since my passion lies in photography I knew most of the things. Also I should mention dhyanji is very good in his photography skills.
    – Nishanth Bhat K

    It was good to be frank. I got interest after seeing all those photos.
    – Koushik KKS

    First time in my life I looked at my world with the hi-tech which the Lord has given to me. I understood how photos too change the world.
    – Sathyamoorthy A

    This session taught me to how we should think and act when we take photos.
    – Ram Prasath VR

    I got to know what is special about photography – “see through your mind not camera lens”. Started taking photos which I feel is really different.
    – Prashanth S

    Dhyanji once again helped us with a few tips which are very useful.
    – Divyaprasaath S

    A well-conducted workshop by a self-trained photographer. Our beloved person with the most captivating laugh. Guess who?
    – Hrishikesh Sivanandan

    I thought taking a photo was only to view the picture and just click it but now I understood it needs something more than that.
    – Balakrishnaveni A

    I did not know anything before. I think I acquired some aesthetic sense. It was fun.
    – Gayathri PS

    The class was taken from a totally different and an amazing point of view of the person standing behind the camera. Even in spite of not being interested in that stream it was a wonderful experience to see those fantastic shots!
    – Medhini Menon

    From this class, we learned the importance of concentration and also learning the factors required for a photograph was interesting.
    – Parvathy Venugopal

    The session was good. Got to know the essentials for taking an interesting photo.
    – Anjanikumar Pathak

     

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  • Bhajan: Singing with Love

    Everyday evening we had an energetic bhajan session.

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    Feedbacks:

    The art of music is great and enjoying is another art.
    – Aswathi TS

    I enjoyed singing bhajans as it made me live in the present and my mind was involved in it.
    – Pranav S

    The one I enjoyed a lot.
    – Shruti Sreevalsan

    Bhajans were really enjoyable. I felt really like being in Vallikavu. We had a brother from Amma’s chorus team and very good singers. Last day bhajan was super, even though I didn’t dance I was singing and I enjoyed it very much.
    – Amrita Sindhu M

    It was good to attend bhajans and sing out loud. It really helped me to get more spiritual.
    – Thiru Ramakrishnan T

    First time I attended the bhajans, and I played instruments. It was like meditation for me to play that.
    – Prabu Vignesh S

    Made me live in the present. Filled my heart my devotion towards God. Thank you. This program would be incomplete without it.
    – Vasudevan N

    The bhajans of last few days were enjoyable. We danced together and felt we were a family.
    – Jayadev HR

    With this bhajans, we are boosting our energy, along with that a good piece of mind
    – Mopuri Saitheja

    Frankly to say I got interested in devotional songs from this bhajan session only. It is nice.
    – Miryala Akhil Bharadwaj Maharaj

     

    Ecstasy! I was exposed to Amrita style bhajan for the first time. It kept my spirits up and was beyond words could say. I could feel!!
    – Aiswarya PL

    I feel when we sang bhajans we really went deeper inside it and reached God. Saw Krishna with happiness.
    – Priyadharshini J

    I learnt my mistakes in singing and my one step of singing a simple bhajan gave me the opportunity to sing in the studio and I am so thankful to Amma for giving me such great blessing.
    – Neeraja Valsan

    I am a person who hates bhajans. When I came to know that we have bhajans too, I felt horrible. But then I thought that sitting in a corner and hating it would anyways make me unhappy but this time rather let me be a part of it. What will happen, either I will be unhappy (which anyways I was before) or I might like it. And then I decided to be a part of it. I played instruments, sang, danced and seriously it was fun. Never thought it would be so enjoyable.
    – Prarthana Shedge

    I always wanted to sing, but when I sing everyone laughs. Bhajans session gave opportunity to sing but no one laughed this time and I was very happy with it.
    – Arun Prasath B

    The time which I enjoyed more is during bhajans.
    – Ruxana VP

    Bhajans made my mind very cool and happy. I always attend bhajans in ashram but here the bhajans with our family was very different. We enjoyed every bhajan.
    – Aarathy ER

    Such a devotional and spiritual atmosphere. Enjoyed it to the core.
    – Aswathi Krishna RL

    I love bhajans at Amritapuri and I used to take part in bhajans almost all days.
    – Silpasree SJ

    After a long time was I calling God like this without any hesitation!! It was wonderful to just synchronize in that joy.
    – Anjali Anil

    I love bhajans. Thanks a lot for giving me the chance to pour my heart out. I enjoyed every evening bhajan session and am so happy.
    – Arjun CB

    Bhajans was good and experienced lot of joy and love towards Amma.
    – Sujith P Shaju

    Bhajans I was wishing in my life to chant and here I got it. The bhajans of Krishna, Amma in various languages that I sang with all gave me the best happiness ever.
    – Dilip Kumar B

    I enjoyed doing bhajans.
    – Rahul Kowshik R

    I enjoyed singing bhajans.
    – Nishanth Bhat K

    For the first time I took part in bhajan it was fantastic. If I get chance to take part in my place also I will continue till my last. After bhajan I was feeling very fresh and happy.
    – Koushik KKS

    I am offering all my sorrows and happiness which I got to Krishna.
    – Sathyamoorthy A

    I learned how to sing bhajans.
    – Ram Prasath VR

    Although I don’t know to sing any bhajan song, I enjoyed hearing it.
    – Prashanth S

    I had a good experience in bhajans. I’ve met a few friends in my batch who can sing with such a divine voice.
    – Divyaprasaath S

    I love bhajan, I know some instruments and how to read music and that made me very happy and I was always waiting for the bhajan session.
    – Sreeragh

    A place and an opportunity where the entire day would end with salutations to the life-giving force and the divine mother Amma. Well to be honest, I learnt my first bhajan here, and also for the books, I lost myself in this activity everyday.
    – Hrishikesh Sivanandan

    Bhajans give me energy and spirit to do anything.
    – Balakrishnaveni A

    I forgot myself and called out to God with completely open mind. I could pray properly as I love to sing out aloud though I don’t dare to do that as solo.
    – Gayathri PS

    Bhajans were really my favorite time. I love bhajans. This session inspired many students to come up and sing and we found great talents which were otherwise hidden.
    – Medhini Menon

    We had lots of fun during the bhajans, especially last night when everyone started to dance.
    – Parvathy Venugopal

    Was simply awesome. I never took so much interest in bhajans before. But this time I just let my self flow with the music. Truly divine. Thanks to my friends and Swamiji who conducted it so well.
    – Anjanikumar Pathak

     

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  • Workshop: Evolve from lust to Love

    A workshop to understand the difference between Love, Like and Lust was conducted by Br. Mukesh & Br. Dhyanamrita. Examples from Puranas and present world were presented to elaborate the point. Later the students were asked to reflect upon their life too.

     

    Feedback:

    It gave a clear cut difference between these words.
    – Aswathi TS

    It made us know what love really means.
    – Shruti Sreevalsan

    It helped us to distinguish between different types of loves which we may misunderstand and what should be called ‘lust’ and ‘like’.
    – Amrita Sindhu M

    I learnt more about what is love.
    – Thiru Ramakrishnan T

    They make us understand what is love from that class and by giving it to us.
    – Prabu Vignesh S

    I think I’ll end up being single if I aspire the highest form of love. But good. It helped me to get my misunderstandings right.
    – Jayadev HR

    This is a nice one but a little bit confusing.
    – Miryala Akhil Bharadwaj Maharaj

    These many days I didn’t know the complete meaning of love but I came to know what it is.
    – Priyadharshini J

    I understood that LOVE is not what I have been thinking till now. It was an eye-opener.
    – Daamini Visaalaakshi

    It gave me a clear idea as to what each emotion is and cleared lot of my dilemmas.
    – Neeraja Valsan

    Cleared the confusion between ‘like’ and ‘love’. In this age we go through lots of attraction and infatuation but this helped us to understand the difference between all of that.
    – Prarthana Shedge

    That’s really informative. I think it should be part of our education system.
    – Arun Prasath B

    It was really insightful. It gave us the real meaning of ‘love’.
    – Saranya

    It was shocking, have to admit. It was very much insightful and hardcore!!
    – Geethanjali VS

    Came to know the different types of love, and what real love is. Will apply it for sure.
    – Akhila A

    From this I came to know the misconceptions i have about everything. This session was super.
    – Aarathy ER

    Informative session it was. Now know how to differentiate them.
    – Aswathi Krishna RL

    Fantastic, as a teenager the proper knowledge of like ‘lust’ and ‘love’ must be known.
    – Silpasree SJ

    It helped us to differentiate between ‘love’ and ‘lust’.:)
    – Anjali Anil

    It was good. The only thing I liked among Dhyanji’s lecture.
    – Harisankar KH

    This was amazing session as it opened my eyes to the reality in the world.
    – Sujith P Shaju

    Swamiji hats off to you, I really got to know the difference between ‘love’ and ‘lust’.
    – Dilip Kumar B

    I got to know what is pure love.
    – Rahul Kowshik R

    We realized that what we thought love was, is not actually love but just an attraction.
    – Nishanth Bhat K

    Love everything.
    – Sathyamoorthy A

    I learned what is real love is.
    – Ram Prasath VR

    Really made a big difference, found what’s “LOVE”.
    – Prashanth S

    It was very informative and gave us a broad look at love and what its original meaning is.
    – Divyaprasaath S

    Was shocked at the revelations in the end, great and very very informative.
    – Hrishikesh Sivanandan

    Now I am clear about what is ‘love’ and ‘lust’.
    – Balakrishnaveni A

    I am convinced about whatever I heard in the session. Maybe I would understand everyone more and above all be working to give unconditional love.
    – Gayathri PS

    The best session of all!! I have no words to explain my feeling. I realized I had a lot to think about and analyze. Thank you so much Dhyanji, I really look forward to making it fruitful!
    – Medhini Menon

    We came to know about the difference between ‘love’ and ‘like’ and also what really ‘love’ is.
    – Parvathy Venugopal

  • Bring the change in society: Pravin Patkar

    Pravin Patkar had a discussion with the campers on the societal problems of the present day – the child labor, slavery and human trafficking. The  discussion helped to open many eyes.

     

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    Feedback
    Do not wait for the another mahatma to come and remove the injustice, instead you become the mahatma.
    – Aswathi TS

    He made us aware about the difficulties faced by women and children in our country and let us know the importance and value of women in society.
    – Pranav S

    He made us know the direction in which the world is moving. We youth should bring it to the right place.
    – Shruti Sreevalsan

    It was very sad when we knew the bad condition of our own country.
    – Amrita Sindhu M

    I got to know the crimes taking place in the country and I feel we should focus on values and try to implement them in our life.
    – Thiru Ramakrishnan T

    He showed us the worst role which “I” plays in this world.
    – Prabu Vignesh S

    Fight injustice and never fear anyone. If you are in the path of Dharma, God will surely help and protect you. Women should never be exploited and should be treated a step above men. Women should be treated with due respect.
    – Vasudevan N

    I learnt courageousness and compassion from him.
    – Jayadev HR

    How females are suffering, and how we should behave in this society, I learned that.
    – Mopuri Saitheja

    Speechless! I used to say, “I will work for the betterment of the so called prostitutes and anyone who is abused”. What he does is beyond anything that could be described. I will also contribute definitely in my own little ways.
    – Aiswarya PL

    He was really a great man who saves the life of girls in our country. As a girl I am really thankful to the great man.
    – Priyadharshini J

    He made me realize the present situation of the society and hats off to you sir for your services to the society.
    – Neeraja Valsan

    Serious topic. In all other sessions in this camp we learned to change ourselves, it was all self centered. But this talk with Mr.Patkar made us realize that we not only have a responsibility toward our self but also to the society which we live in.
    – Prarthana Shedge

    Another inspiration for me.
    – Arun Prasath B

     

    – Ruxana VP
    Through his speech I came to knew more about human trafficking and exploitation of human rights.

    Made us know how difficult the world is. He is an inspiration for us to do something for others.
    – Saranya

    He works in the field! A real dangerous one at that. Courageous and bold.
    – Geethanjali VS

    Came to know the other side of India, the helplessness of women, and the vicious circle of human trafficking.
    – Akhila A

    I was really inspired by his life, works and thoughts. He was successful in building a warrior who fights against these cruelties and Adharma in all our hearts.
    – Anjali Anil

    You showed us the evil face of today’s society and the cruelty done to those children in red-streets. You made us realize how we should help kids like them and ensure them a good future. You also showed me the passion you showed for rescuing these many lives. You really made a change within us.
    – Arjun CB

    The best session I have had in my whole life. He changed my attitude towards women. I keep him as one of my role models.
    – Harisankar KH

    Praveenji’s session was beautiful as he proclaimed that the rights of the lower status should be taken seriously. He made us understand the status of our country, specially concerned with women and children.
    – Sujith P Shaju

    Its sad to know child trafficking still exist in our society. We have to stop it wherever possible.
    – Nishanth Bhat K

    Hats off to his work. If every one reads Gita, I think there will be no work for Mr. Patkar.
    – Koushik KKS

    Showed me a different face of India but it I am sure we will bring the change.
    – Sathyamoorthy A

    I was shocked by the stats he gave about red light areas and how girls are brought into it. To hear about his work, makes me feel like I should also do something about it.
    – Divyaprasaath S

    A very bold and courageous person who could not stand the plight of the innocent children and the women of this country, who were trafficked. He took us out of our shells and connected us back to the big, bad world and its big, bad happenings.
    – Hrishikesh Sivanandan

    He and his family are amazing. I learnt that every one should be given their rights irrespective of whatever the work they do.
    – Balakrishnaveni A

    We were made aware of the real situations of this world. To realize that we could not find a solution was even more pathetic.
    – Gayathri PS

    The scariest session in terms of the topics being discussed but so amazed by the courage he had to save any other girl like me. I also got to be more aware of how the world is now and how important it is to protect ourselves.
    – Medhini Menon

    An inspiring session and was also inspired by his dedication and determination.
    – Parvathy Venugopal

    Really liked his attitude, humbleness and the work he is doing for the welfare of the women and children. Really amazing and an eye opener for us. We should also in some way contribute to the society and make a change.
    – Anjanikumar Pathak

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  • Magic by Samala Venu

    Samala Venu presented magic for the campers. He shared some secrets with them. The blindfold item was an outstanding performance.

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    Feedback
    Even though no one sticks to your side, if in time you feel that the passion of yours is different from the ones that others think, never give up. Go for it, try, and strive for it.
    – Aswathi TS

    I learnt how to pursue my goal.
    – Thiru Ramakrishnan T

    Mr Venu proved that sorrow is only for the person who doesn’t know to enjoy life. He said that we are not asking for what gives you sorrow but we are asking for that which gives happiness. Thank you Venu sir.
    – Prabu Vignesh S

    Magic is after all magic. It is just an illusion to our eyes. But Venu sir was a real source of inspiration. What I learnt was that no matter what others say you must choose what you want to pursue. As I recall, it’s not our talents who show who we really are, but it is our choices.
    – Vasudevan N

    The magic show made me realize that I was adulterated. All the time I was thinking how and questioning why. But at the end of the camp, I can feel that the adulteration levels have reduced.
    – Jayadev HR

    It was good but still, I have a doubt and wanted to know how he did the rupee note trick.
    – Priyadharshini J

    Samala Venu’s life story was too inspiring, he pushed on, even without the support from his parents in order to continue his passion. The blindfold drawing taught that nothing is impossible if you practice it.
    – Daamini Visaalaakshi

    I have watched loads of magic shows. But the blindfold trick was really awesome, I liked it. And he made me feel proud of being Indian and the way he is achieving the pinnacles of glory. He gave me the inspiration to stick and pursue my dreams in spite of no family support. If you have the courage to pursue your dreams then the divine himself shows you the path.
    – Prarthana Shedge

    He is the one man who showed you can achieve your dream even when everything is against you.
    – Geethanjali VS

    It wasn’t much attractive. Maybe because we knew those tricks. But that blindfolded trick was just awesome.
    – Aswathi Krishna RL

    His life inspired me a lot, that we can achieve our goal if we have a strong will.
    – Silpasree SJ

    I was inspired by his own life story more than his magic tricks. I thank him for sharing his experiences with us.
    – Anjali Anil

    Samala venu gave us his life experiences and showed that passion for one’s goal can give you success and happiness. He also made it clear that obstacles are meant to be faced if one wanted success.
    – Arjun CB

    It was the best show ever seen. I was present there with an intention just to enjoy the show. If I thought that it’s just to fool people or I knew the magic I would not have enjoyed it. I kept everything aside and just sat there to enjoy and to be happy. It is like when you continuously go on pouring coffee in any filled cup it flows out and when you go with an empty mind you enjoy. You are happy and learn a lot.
    – Dilip Kumar B

    I have enjoyed this session and I learnt from his life that is we should never give up our goal.
    – Rahul Kowshik R

    Magic shows are the ones with which we are fascinated, thinking about how they might have made the illusion or tricks. We enjoyed a lot watching the tricks that Venu sir performed. Blindfold was amazing!
    – Nishanth Bhat K

    Got inspired really by the way he wanted to reach his goal even though there were many obstacles.
    – Prashanth S

    I got to learn that if we have a goal and passion then we should take a risk and we have to strive for it.
    – Divyaprasaath S

    He was a great person. His father wanted him to be an engineer but he didn’t have interest in it and his aim is to become a magician. He achieved his goal and he is very happy in it and he teaches some tricks. We all loved his show.
    – Sreeragh

    An epitome of undaunted perseverance and a symbol of hard work.
    – Hrishikesh Sivanandan

    This session taught me that practice can make anything possible in this world.
    – Balakrishnaveni A

     

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  • Dance with Love: Workshop on Kathakali and Bharatanatyam

    Paris Laxmi and Pallipuram Sunil performed and demonstrated both Bharatanatyam and Kathakali. They performed and shared the Navarasas and various mudras of Kathakali and gave practical sessions of basic steps of Bhartanatyam. During their session they spoke about Rhythm which is a basic component of dance. They spoke about how practice makes perfection, and the learning an art form requires passion, dedication and hard work. At the end they presented ‘Gitopadesham’.

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    Feedback
    The very important aspect of the life is to enjoy your passion and practice to be happy.
    – Aswathi TS

    Their performance proved that any difficult thing can be made easy if it’s done with dedication and love.
    – Pranav S

    Wow, dance!!! No words to express. After years I am dancing Bharatanatyam in the stage. I was very happy. But the great wonder was that she is only years elder than me!
    – Amrita Sindhu M

    It was a good experience to see her dance.
    – Thiru Ramakrishnan T

    She took my fear away and she gave me the love and passion to dance on the stage. She also took me to heaven with my Gitamritam family. Thank you ji.
    – Prabu Vignesh S

    Whatever you do, do it with sincerity and you have a purpose in your life. I was thankful to be dressed up as a Katakali artist. It was amazing.
    – Vasudevan N

    This workshop made me realize that verbal communication is not the only form of communication. Dance is a more creative and innovative style of communication.
    – Jayadev HR

     

    With this we got to know how we to enjoy the arts and intricacies of them.
    – Mopuri Saitheja

    I like dance but I don’t know how dancers make it so beautiful. But after seeing her dance, I came to know that we can make anything beautiful by doing it with love. Kathakali was really amazing because by seeing him I came to know we can express anything without talking. I remembered that “action speaks louder than words”.
    – Priyadharshini J

    The dancer and the dance is not different, we were mesmerized with both of their dedication and how they complemented each other. The Vasudev makeup session was the highlight.
    – Daamini Visaalaakshi

    I was amazed to hear a foreign lady know so much about our dance form and adopt our custom. I totally agree that our traditional attires go well on anyone in the world.
    – Neeraja Valsan

    Her expressions, beauty and dedication to the dance was really noteworthy. The thing which I learned from her was ‘to do everything with a smile and enjoy every moment, live that role to perfection’.
    – Prarthana Shedge

    It was amazing. Seriously I cried after seeing her performance.
    – Ruxana VP

    She was amazing. She just became the roles she played!! It felt so real and inspiring. Her husband was also great, the basic exercises were real fun.
    – Geethanjali VS

    Wow. Never seen such lively expressions on a dancer. They were living their respective roles. Saw the various mudras of Kathakali as well as Bharathanatyam.
    – Akhila A

    Practice makes a man perfect. So I decided to put away my laziness of not practicing dance. Also we should be passionate, then only we can have perfection, and that leads to happiness.
    – Aarathy ER

    Blending of two art-forms. Indeed it was a mind blowing session.
    – Aswathi Krishna RL

    Superb, loved it a lot.
    – Silpasree SJ

    This session was truly mesmerizing. We were all taken away by the dancers.. The expressions of the Kathakali artist was amazing. And Paris Lakshmi swept us away with her gorgeous dance performance!
    – Anjali Anil

    Ma’am, I am not a dancer, but I enjoy it. You gave me courage to try this art form and gave me the perspective of the fusion as a communication between both styles. You showed us the importance of passion and devotion to our goals.
    – Arjun CB

    It was great. The message she conveyed inspired me a lot.
    – Harisankar KH

    In this class, mainly I liked the art of expression and I want to exercise the facial expressions that the sir taught in the class.
    – Abhishek Suratkal

    The dance program was amazing especially the Kathakali facial expressions and when Lakshmiji taught me some steps of Bharatanatayam. I learned that you don’t need a language to communicate. You just need love to communicate.
    – Sujith P Shaju

    It is an awesome thing to dance with Lakshmi, such an awesome dancer. Actually I am very bad at dancing, but I enjoyed it. It is all that matters. And I am happy that I could dance.
    – Rahul Kowshik R

    It was overwhelming to see a girl of almost our age achieving so much in the field of dance. The fusion of Bharatanatym and Kathakali was a very good idea.
    – Nishanth Bhat K

    Wonderful pair, I saw good understanding in them. I will try to adopt it in my life to keep my family environment clean and healthy.
    – Koushik KKS

    Complete dedications to their art.
    – Sathyamoorthy A

    I came to know how we have to learn Kathakali deeply with minute expressions and how we have to place the leg.
    – Ram Prasath VR

    Really when they walked in I realized beauty is not permanent. It’s only “love” that is permanent. The concentration in their work and that they were enjoying what they were doing taught me, and I’ll try to enjoy my work.
    – Prashanth S

    I learnt what is passion and how to achieve it.
    – Divyaprasaath S

    I love to dance but I don’t like Kathakali, Bharathanatyam etc. But when she showed some steps I was very interested in that. Now I love dances like Kathakali and Bharathanatyam.
    – Sreeragh

    A couple who complemented each other in a very unique way, in their own individual sense. Words fall short to describe the way the two popular dance forms of South India blended – Kathakali and Bharatanatyam.
    – Hrishikesh Sivanandan

    I learnt what is passion from her and to be happy in whatever we do.
    – Balakrishnaveni A

    It was beautiful. The expressions, the feel of enjoyment, was amazing. Above all I was taken aback by their humble and friendly mind.
    – Gayathri PS

    Amazing to see an outsider take up an Indian dance style as her passion. Since we had lot of participants, both boys and girls on stage it was loads of fun see all of them learn to dance!
    – Medhini Menon

    Totally an amazing session. We were mesmerized by their performance. Learned that to reach your goal, we require pure dedication and faith in ourselves.
    – Parvathy Venugopal

    Was an awesome dance. It gave an insight into the classical dance forms of India. Really appreciate Lakshmi ma’am’s passion for dance and that too a classical dance. Great couple and really enjoyed their session. They taught me that no matter what, follow your passion and through hard work and dedication achieve your goal.
    – Anjanikumar Pathak

     

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  • Shradda: Connectivity through Innocence and Awareness

    Shankar Kumaran conducted the Shraddha workshop on 2- 4 June 2013. He introduced the Panchakoshas, the five layers of human existence to the campers. His sessions focused on increasing concentration and awareness through various kind of activities. Breathing exercise to control and change emotions were also introduced. Games and classes helped the Yuva to realize and recollect the innocence they had left behind, in the venture towards so-called ‘maturity’. He also gave activities to help the campers learn and enhance the power and sensitivity of all sense organs.

    Feedback

    Learnt how to mingle with everyone without any fear.
    – Pranav S

    Shankarji is one whom i met first in this family. He taught us how to feel and experience ourselves. Now if I know who I am, it is also because of Shankarji. Thank you for giving me this chance.
    – Prabu Vignesh S

    Learnt a lot. The most important thing being, having control on annamaya, manomaya, pranamaya, and vigyanamaya are the goals in our life whereas attaining anandamaya kosha is the ultimate purpose in my life. The paper tearing session was the best which bought out the innocence out of me and I am really thankful to Shankar Sir for providing us with this wonderful opportunity.
    – Vasudevan N

    Shraddha never let the spirit of the camp to go down. It maintained a balance between joy and boredom. In that way it was an essential part of the camp.
    – Jayadev HR

    Wow! Never in the world did I think that life’s most important aspects can be conveyed in this manner. I salute the approach. It was thought provoking and blissful.
    – Aiswarya PL

    It was really amazing and had very good time. I got lots of information which I have not known these many days.
    – Priyadharshini J

    It was practically explained what Shraddha is through all the amazing games. Thank you so much Sir for bringing back the innocence in me one more time.
    – Neeraja Valsan

    He is such an amazing guy and super cool.
    – Arun Prasath B

    Shraddha session was awesome, I can’t express it in words.
    – Ruxana.V.P

    The most interesting session.. He made us to go back to being little children. We were doing what we felt like doing. We were not thinking about what others will think about us. Each and every moment we were enjoying, and I think we all are happy now.
    – Saranya

    He made me ask “why in the world should I be serious all time? “. It’s one life and definitely, I am happy that I got to meet such fantastic people here.
    – Geethanjali VS

    Though Shankarji had designed those sessions with fun and entertainment, the original purpose for developing Shraddha and lifting ourselves from Annamayakosha to Anandamayakosha, which was well understood.!
    – Aswathi Krishna RL

    His class was truly remarkable. He has taught us the essentials of life in interesting ways that will never fade from our minds. His classes were very scientific apart from the usual lectures that we used to have in schools and colleges. I would like to add that he is a man of great genius. I am very grateful for all his efforts.:)
    – Anjali Anil

    Shankar chettan, awesome human being who is innocent at heart and taught us the value of being innocent. He made us realize the meaning of life and showed us where we can correct ourselves. He gave me a wider perspective of my skills and the fortune of having a perfect body and life. I started to respect people with disabilities for their courage and patience. Thank u so much, Chetta.
    – Arjun CB

    The best I have had in my life. Every thing he said, inspired me totally. Even now I feel so happy to meet that great man, Shankar ji
    – Harisankar KH

    In Shankar chettan’s class I realized how serious I had become as I grew. His class brought back my innocence and enthusiasm. He also thought about the koshas and that the only necessity needed for our survival is happiness.
    – Abhishek Suratkal

    The moment I saw Shankarji, I didn’t think he was capable of making every moment so joyous and lively. I was wrong. He reminds me of Br. Manoj’s activities, jokes, and compliments that he did in camps. The session was awesome and hope to attend more in the future.
    – Sujith P Shaju

    In the first, this was the most confusing class but I understood the values which was taught by Shankar ji. I am inspired by him, and the way he teaches is awesome.
    – Rahul Kowshik R

    Shraddha classes made us realize about our self, the common misconception on who we are. Shankar sir teaches the concepts with the help of various activities, which we all enjoy.
    – Nishanth Bhat K

    I am doing my MCA and I was worried about the fact that IT people have higher stress levels than any other professionals according to statistics. I was searching for the reason and I got the answer through one of his class, which helps me a lot. Thank you Sir.
    – Koushik KKS

    Shraddha class helped me to know what is faith and the full meaning of Shraddha i.e. explore, inquiry, awareness, etc.
    – Ram Prasath VR

    Made me find who I am.
    – Prashanth S

    Shankarji is the coolest person I’ve ever met. I enjoyed his classes to the core.
    – Divyaprasaath S

    Shankar sir was a great person who was very friendly with all and taught us more things and give us more inspiration as he taught and more lessons. We all loved it and we miss him a lot.
    – Sreeragh

    Shankarji- a person filled with life and enthusiasm that is unmatched by any other teacher that I have come across so far. We rediscovered our childhood innocence that we had lost. The most memorable part of it was the “paper abhishekam”. Ji, you taught us to look into ourselves more than anything else.
    – Hrishikesh Sivanandan

    i just enjoyed it to the core.
    – Balakrishnaveni A

     

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  • Shraddha: Building Awareness

    Shraddha workshop
    Shankar Kumaran conducted the Shraddha workshop on 2- 4 June 2013. He introduced the Panchakoshas, the five layers of human existence to the campers. His sessions focused on increasing concentration and awareness through various kind of activities. Breathing exercise to control and change emotions were also introduced. Games and classes helped the Yuva to realize and recollect the innocence they had left behind, in the venture towards so-called ‘maturity’. He also gave activities to help the campers learn and enhance the power and sensitivity of all sense organs.

     

    Feedbacks:

    The games were really great and it made me know the real values of the senses and their purpose. It also helped to learn to trust each other and also promoted my interest to help the needy in the ways that are possible in my life.
    – Aswathi T.S.

    With Sankar sir’s classes, we got to learn how to control our senses, to use them, and how we can get happiness with them.
    – Mopuri Saitheja

    This class is very interesting because nowadays we are losing our concentration.
    – Miryala.Akhil Bharadwaj Maharaj

    Shankar sir is like Sherlock Holmes or rather Sherlock Holmes is like Shankarji (confusing right???):) This session was as though a needle is passed into a banana without the banana itself not knowing. Shraddha was learnt practically through the innovative games we played.
    Daamini Visaalaakshi

    The most awesome and qualitative sessions of the camp, the practical application of Gita’s concepts in life. These sessions really made me realize that we have stopped living, thanks to Shankar Sir for making us realize that.
    – Prarthana Shedge

    Shraddha classes awakened me to a new world. From all the classes I was learning a lot of lessons. Shankar sir is really great, he makes us understand macro things through some micro activities.
    – Aarathy E R

    It was a totally surprising experience as I met my happy, innocent and loving self. I recognized the capacities of my body, and the levels to which I could really reach.
    – Gayathri P.S

    The most active part of the camp, making us forget boundaries of age and enjoy games, which actually enhance our concentration and make us focus and be in the moment.
    – Medhini Madhavan Menon

    It was really an interesting session and we enjoyed it a lot.
    Parvathy Venugopal

    Shankarji is an awesome guy. The way he took his sessions was truly amazing and innovative. Thanks to him that I know what ‘Shraddha’ is.
    – Anjani Kumar Pathak

    Learnt how to mingle with everyone without any fear.
    – Pranav S

    Shankarji is one whom I met first in this family. He taught us how to feel and experience ourselves. Now if I know who I am, it is also because of Shankarji. Thank you for giving me this chance.
    – Prabu Vignesh S

    Learnt a lot. The most important thing is, having control on annamaya, manomaya, pranamaya, and vigyanamaya are the goals in our life whereas attaining anandamaya kosha is the ultimate purpose in my life. The paper tearing session was the best which bought out the innocence out of me and I am really thankful to Shankar Sir for providing us with this wonderful opportunity.
    – Vasudevan N

    Shraddha never let the spirit of the camp to go down. It maintained a balance between joy and boredom. In that way, it was an essential part of the camp.
    – Jayadev HR

    Wow! Never in the world did I think that life’s most important aspects can be conveyed in this manner. I salute the approach. It was thought-provoking and blissful.
    – Aiswarya PL

    It was really amazing and had a very good time. I got lots of information which I have not known these many days.
    – Priyadharshini J

    It was practically explained what Shraddha is through all the amazing games. Thank you so much, Sir, for bringing back the innocence in me one more time.
    – Neeraja Valsan

    He is such an amazing guy and super cool.
    – Arun Prasath B

    Shraddha session was awesome, I can’t express it in words.
    – Ruxana.V.P

    The most interesting session.. He made us go back to being little children. We were doing what we felt like doing. We were not thinking about what others will think about us. Each and every moment we were enjoying, and I think we all are happy now.
    – Saranya

    He made me ask “why in the world should I be serious all the time? “. It’s one life and definitely, I am happy that I got to meet such fantastic people here.
    – Geethanjali VS

    Though Shankarji had designed those sessions with fun and entertainment, the original purpose for developing Shraddha and lifting ourselves from Annamayakosha to Anandamayakosha, which was well understood.!
    – Aswathi Krishna RL

    His class was truly remarkable. He has taught us the essentials of life in interesting ways that will never fade from our minds. His classes were very scientific apart from the usual lectures that we used to have in schools and colleges. I would like to add that he is a man of great genius. I am very grateful for all his efforts.:)
    – Anjali Anil

    Shankar chettan, awesome human being who is innocent at heart and taught us the value of being innocent. He made us realize the meaning of life and showed us where we can correct ourselves. He gave me a wider perspective of my skills and the fortune of having a perfect body and life. I started to respect people with disabilities for their courage and patience. Thank u so much, Chetta.
    – Arjun CB

    The best I have had in my life. Everything he said, inspired me totally. Even now I feel so happy to meet that great man, Shankar ji
    – Harisankar KH

    In Shankar chettan’s class, I realized how serious I had become as I grew. His class brought back my innocence and enthusiasm. He also thought about the koshas and that the only necessity needed for our survival is happiness.
    – Abhishek Suratkal

    The moment I saw Shankarji, I didn’t think he was capable of making every moment so joyous and lively. I was wrong. He reminds me of Br. Manoj’s activities, jokes, and compliments that he did in camps. The session was awesome and hope to attend more in the future.
    – Sujith P Shaju

    In the first, this was the most confusing class but I understood the values which was taught by Shankar ji. I am inspired by him, and the way he teaches is awesome.
    – Rahul Kowshik R

    Shraddha classes made us realize about our self, the common misconception on who we are. Shankar sir teaches the concepts with the help of various activities, which we all enjoy.
    – Nishanth Bhat K

    I am doing my MCA and I was worried about the fact that IT people have higher stress levels than any other professionals according to statistics. I was searching for the reason and I got the answer through one of his class, which helps me a lot. Thank you Sir.
    – Koushik KKS

    Shraddha class helped me to know what is faith and the full meaning of Shraddha i.e. explore, inquiry, awareness, etc.
    – Ram Prasath VR

    Made me find who I am.
    – Prashanth S

    Shankarji is the coolest person I’ve ever met. I enjoyed his classes to the core.
    – Divyaprasaath S

    Shankar sir was a great person who was very friendly with all and taught us more things and give us more inspiration as he taught and more lessons. We all loved it and we miss him a lot.
    – Sreeragh

    Shankarji- a person filled with life and enthusiasm that is unmatched by any other teacher that I have come across so far. We rediscovered our childhood innocence that we had lost. The most memorable part of it was the “paper abhishekam”. Ji, you taught us to look into ourselves more than anything else.
    – Hrishikesh Sivanandan

    I just enjoyed it to the core.
    – Balakrishnaveni A

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  • Love for the hearts: Dr R Krishna Kumar

    Dr. Krishna Kumar spoke to the campers during the My Life, My Passion session on June 5, 2013. In this talk, he urged the audience to accept challenges in life. He said it is important to be constantly challenged in life because it stimulates changes and hence keep us alive. He added that learning is not a time-bound process. He urged the students to put their best in every moment of life to attain the satisfaction that leads to an overall development on a daily basis. He also asked them to develop an attitude of Gratitude in life.

    Feedbacks:

    Follow your heart and have faith in God.
    – Aswathi TS

    He made us aware of the difficulties and challenges one has to undergo on the path of achieving the goal.
    – Pranav S

    Krishna Kumar sir told us to never look at the results just go on for ever.
    – Shruti Sreevalsan

    It was a really touching experience.
    – Amrita Sindhu M

    His speech was very inspirational. I learnt that if we practice we can achieve anything in life.
    – Thiru Ramakrishnan T

    He proved that true love can cure anything.
    – Prabu Vignesh S

    Love what you do unconditionally and be devoted. We should never compartmentalize our life as a happy zone, relaxation and work zone. The purpose of our life should be the means for our happiness.
    – Aiswarya PL

    I came to know how care and affection are given to the child by the doctor and his team and also about a great service done in AIMS. My eyes started watering when I saw the video shown by him and hats off to AIMS for providing such kind of services with great doctors.
    – Priyadharshini J

    I never believed in religion like him. but according to him if you meditate on your work the divine helps you irrespective of whether you believe him or not. God doesn’t grade a devotee with the Poojas and Upavasas he does but on the honesty of work and dedication he has. Dare to swim upstream!!
    – Prarthana Shedge

    I thought he would speak about the medical field. but he made realize about swimming upstream.
    – Arun Prasath B

    His talk was inspiring and also after hearing his speech I decided to put in hard work for achieving my goal.
    – Ruxana VP

    It was a wonderful experience to know about the real medical profession.
    His determination to achieve his goals, his desire to come back to his mother country and serve it, was and is really inspirational.
    – Akhila A

    I learnt from him to never wait for rewards. We should be persistent, then we can achieve anything if we believe in that. Be passionate in our career, try to achieve perfection and be positive!
    – Aarathy ER

    Learnt about hard work, determination, swimming against the current, turning your work into a meditation!! Wonderful.
    – Geethanjali VS

    It was an apt talk for our session “My life My passion”. That was it. To swim upstream. Indeed an inspiring talk.
    – Aswathi Krishna RL

    Got inspired by his talk. His love towards the profession is appreciable.
    – Silpasree SJ

    To have such a doctor in our society is a true asset. His life story was very inspiring.
    – Anjali Anil

    Thank you so much for sharing with us your experiences in the medical field. You showed us that true success can be achieved only by going up the tide. And thus stay happy by showing true conviction and dedication to that one passion.
    – Arjun CB

    Glad I attended his session, it’s one of the best things that has happened.
    – Harisankar KH

    Ramanji session was a profound and astonishing session. The session was one of the best of all. I learned how working as a team is a vital part for every success and how every small role is important in the completion of the job.
    – Sujith P Shaju

    I have learned that we should not swim according to the stream rather we should challenge it by going opposite the stream and face challenges.
    – Rahul Kowshik R

    It was a good session with Dr. Raman about Pediatric heart surgery. Through this session I came to know that meditation is not only when we sit with closed eyes. It’s when we involve our self completely, focused on some goal.
    – Nishanth Bhat K

    I got an idea how to be a successful team leader.
    – Koushik K.K.S

    If we can make other happy and we will be happy.
    – Sathyamoorthy A

    I learned how we have to sail upstream and we have to learn for our joy.
    – Ram Prasath VR

    Learnt, how to plan for my goal.
    – Prashanth S

    It was the most awesome speech I ever heard. He was very informative and taught us how to find the purpose of our life.
    – Divyaprasaath S

    A person who taught us the story of the salmon that swims upstream. We’ll never give up sir.
    – Hrishikesh Sivanandan

    I learnt patience, passion, and dedication from him.
    – Balakrishnaveni A

    Great, we understood the peak point of love and dedication. I really admire his sense of determination and perseverance.
    – Gayathri PS

    This person had always inspired me otherwise too as I have heard a lot about him! He had so many points in correlation with Gita and he could inspire so many of the other students too. I had many of them come and tell me at the end of the session. Inspired us to go “up the stream”.
    – Medhini Menon

    An inspiring session, no words to explain.
    – Parvathy Venugopal

    Is an inspiration for the youth who like to achieve their passion in life and like going against the flow of river. The way he took the session was really interesting and I didn’t get distracted at all. Love the fact that he came back to India and is serving in AIMS and helping the poor and dejected people of our country. He is one of the few people whom I have seen who doesn’t give a damn to money.
    – Anjanikumar Pathak

     

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  • Assessing one’s strengths and weaknesses: Psychology Workshop

    Dr Gitanjali Natarajan & Smitha VS conducted a workshop on Psychology. The session initially covered aspects of stress management. They advised the youth not be oversensitive and educated them about the 15 %-20% of youth who suffer from stress due to societal changes and peer group pressures and other factors. They emphasized the need to adapt to situations in every phase of life. Finally they conducted a questionnaire session, which helped the youth to do a self-assessment, and assess their strengths and weaknesses.

    ====

    Feedback
    Understood how much I am stressed.
    – Aswathi TS

    It made us aware about the stress, which is mostly found among us.
    – Pranav S

    She made us come to know our present condition.
    – Shruti Sreevalsan

    We understood many causes of disorders in children.
    – Amrita Sindhu M

    I learnt about the stress that is involved in our day to day life and how to overcome it.
    – Thiru Ramakrishnan T

    They showed me where am standing, they also make us to understand the problems we facing in our life.
    – Prabu Vignesh S

    Learnt how to control our mental body and how to mingle with others.
    – Mopuri Saitheja

    I got to know ways to relax myself from the upcoming stress.
    – Neeraja Valsan

    I felt lot of things are to be changed within myself.
    – Arun Prasath B

    Session help me to know about my stress level.
    – Ruxana VP

    It was a wonderful experience to dance in front of the audience when I didn’t know how to dance. It has given me confidence to just enjoy and be happy whatever we do.
    – Akhila A

    Was kind of embarrassed to answer those questions, I hadn’t even thought of myself and my feelings till then. It was pretty good.
    – Aswathi Krishna RL

    Now I understood my confidence level.
    – Silpasree SJ

    Psychology was an interesting session which I never expected would turn out to be fun.
    – Sujith P Shaju

    It helps me to correct myself and helped to develop logical thinking.
    – Koushik KKS

    I know my scores. But the scores show how I was. But it won’t show how I am at the present!
    – Sathyamoorthy A

    Has proved I’m not stressed, happy about it.
    – Prashanth S

    It was very useful. I got to know about how stressed I was.
    – Divyaprasaath S

    I drew myself, myself for the first time and I also discovered somethings that were otherwise ignorant to me.
    – Hrishikesh Sivanandan

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